Over the hump it's downhill all the way

I woke this morning to hear it raining steadily.  A little later, it poured harder and I went downstairs to check none was coming in at the vulnerable window.  The work that the Sage and Jamie did a few weeks ago has cured the problem, none was coming in and the paving outside the side door, which Jamie took great care over, had no sign of a puddle.  One cannot see a slope, but it does drain slightly, to the side away from the house.

By the time I left the house at 7.30, it had stopped and soon the sun was shining, which was jolly good as it was Zerlina's birthday party today.  Since her actual birthday was so close to Gus's due birth date, it had been decided just to have the family over then and save a get-together with her friends until later.  We didn't go, but Squiffany and co did, it was held here (there is music on the linked site, in case you're at work!), Weeza works for the owner, who has children around Zerlina's age (which was how she came upon her job, she met their mother at toddler get-togethers) and it was a lovely day for it.  It was going to be in the morning, but of course the guests would have all-day passes, so once the party itself was finished, anyone could spend the day there if they wanted to.

The Sage had a business appointment in Ipswich; we had intended to go out together but plans were scuppered by that.  Just as well someone was about as Big Pinkie got out yet again - I don't know where, I couldn't find anywhere obvious, and it wasn't easy to open a gap in the wire to let her home again.  She was waiting by the field, wanting to get back in to be with her two companions, that wasn't the difficulty.  Managed it in the end and tempted her with a couple of apples, then I went over onto the field on the house side on the beck and called her over with the aid of a couple more.  The Sage and I went over and mended where I'd let her in, later.  She's a rascal, but very sweet-natured.

I mentioned numbers yesterday.  I am not very good at remembering numbers, so I have to work out arithmetical links.  My friend John told me, years ago, that he was taught at some time to have a picture association with each digit - the example he used was, if a bed is 1 and a swan is 2 (because a swan on the water with its curved neck looks a bit like a 2), 21 could bring a mental image of a swan sitting on a bed.  I wasn't sure it would work for me, I don't have much imagination and wouldn't be able to think of or remember the images (he's an accomplished artist so his brain is wired differently from mine).  And how would I know whether it was 21 or 12?  No, what I do is multiply or think up simple number links.  Which seem to some people to be quite relatively complicated.

For example, my old mobile phone number.  07884002278.  They all start with 0, so that was no problem, and then I had to remember 7, but then added one and it was a double number so that was easy, then I halved it and there was another double which made it 400, then the 4 was halved again and that was a double number again, and it finished as it started, except for the 0.  And I thought, 07 double 8, 4 hundred, double 2, 78.

Weeza's phone number in London was 020 72787397. The recurring 7 was the key there.  I had to say, 0207 (which I knew because it was a central London number - I know the 7 comes at the start of the second batch, but I couldn't remember it without the correct intonation) 27 (which repeated the 2, which helped) 87 397.

The local telephone numbers all start (after the code) 89, followed by 4 digits, which gives me problems.  It's like breaking a code, there isn't enough to go on.  I remember the numbers, just not whose phones they apply to.  I can remember my PINs, however, because I apply myself.

As for numbers I like - these are not lucky numbers, I don't have lucky numbers - these are usually related to my age.  I think that the year before the change of decade is too much like standing on one leg with the other about to step forward, so I'm not too fond.  Last decade was different, because it was a square  I like squares and am looking forward to 64, as it will be both square and cube, the only time I will have such an event except when I was a year old.  I am fond of ages that are divisible by 3, especially if they are the product of two prime numbers.  69 will be brilliant, upside down, back to front, 23x3 so product of two primes, and generally enjoyable in all ways.

In fact, I have little objection to the 'up' years in any decade anyway.  Roses always thinks of Wednesday as the 'hump' day in the middle of the week, but then it's downhill swiftly to the weekend.  The downward slope of a decade is just leading on to be 10 years older overnight.